Category: Travel light

1.) The Shard: Get a ticket and head up to the shard for an amazing view across all of London. It covers a 360 view so this is easily one of the most impressive places to see all of London. Price: £29.95 for adults (discounts available). Address: 32 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9SG

2.) Big Ben: You need to be resident in the UK for this one but basically you get to climb up Big Ben for free if you are (contact your MP about this) and when you do, the view from the top is definitely worth it! Especially from such a historic site. Price: Free Address: (Really? 😉 Okay, then…) Westminster, London SW1A 0AA

3.) The London Eye: The view from the London eye is particular great for Westminster and the St Paul’s area. One bit of advice I’d give is to get a spot near the window as soon as you get in so you don’t have to struggle for a view with other people on your pod. The view is pretty good from all angles. Price: Starting at £19.35 (discounts available) Address: London SE1 7PB

4.) Vertigo 42: Yes, the prices of the champagne here are a tad steep but if you think of it as paying for admission to a place with amazing views across all of London, it starts to make sense. Plus you get to enjoy this view while chilling out on comfy sofa in a warm environment so there’s always that too. This is an ideal, pre (or post) dinner venue but remember to make a reservation in advance as they fill up quite quickly. Price: Prices start at around £9.20 for a glass of wine and £14 for a cocktail Address: Level 42, Tower 42, 25 Old Broad Street, London EC2N 1HQ

5.) Duck and Waffle: An amazing restaurant with an amazing view over London. Perfect for sunrise or sunset as they’re open 24 hours! Price: Starters from around £3/5 depending on time of the day and meals from around £11 Address: Heron Tower, 110 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AY

6.) Primrose Hill: This offers amazing views over London for free. It might not necessarily be the most amazing or most impressive view of the lot but it sure looks great with the backdrop of the park that lead up to the view of London. Price: Free Address: (Same as the name – Primrose Hill)

7.) Tower Bridge: You can either pay or do this via your MP but the view from the top of Tower Bridge is make that extra sweet by getting to see the exhibition in the Tower and actually be inside such an iconic part of London and city’s heritage. Price: £9 with discounts available) Address: Tower Bridge Road, London SE1 2UP

8.) Oxo Tower: Food with a view again. Pretty much everyone who’s been here loves it and so my guess is that you probably will too! 😉 Price: Starting at around £21.50 for a main Address: Oxo Tower Wharf, Barge House Street, London, SE1 9PH

9.) Sushi Samba: This is actually next to Duck and Waffle and also offers amazing views over all of London. The food isn’t cheap as you can imagine but one of those cases where it’s definitely worth it (it’s delicious and there’s the view so… 😉 ) Price: Starting at £12 for small plates Address: Heron Tower, 110 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AY

10.) Sky Garden: Covered this already in this post but to recap, it’s an amazing view over all of London and it’s free! Price: Free Address: 20 Fenchurch Street, London EC3M 3BY

11.) St Paul’s Cathedral: Climb to the top of the iconic London landmark for amazing panoramic views of London. Price: £18 (discounts available) Address: St. Paul’s Churchyard, London EC4M 8AD

12.) Up at the O2: Climb the O2 and be rewarded with a fantastic view of Canary Wharf. Of course the view of Canary Wharf means that it’s harder to see other parts of the city but it’s a nice fun activity to do in London and definitely worth checking out. Price: £28 Address: Peninsula Square, London SE10 0DX

13.) ArcelorMittal Orbit: This sculpture made for the Olympics in London back in 2012 offers amazing panoramic views over London from the East End. Reception to the way it looks was initially mixed when it was unveiled but that takes nothing away from the amazing view (and brilliant photos) you will get from the top of the sculpture. Price: £11.95 Address: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, 3 Thornton Street, London E20 2ST

14.) Emirates Air Line: This is a cable car that crosses the River Thames (around the same area where the O2 is) and is another great way to get a brilliant view over all of London. Of course, it’s not free but it only costs £3.30 for Oyster card holder (half for children) so it’s easily one of the cheapest option of the paid for ones above. Price: £3.40 with Oystercard (£4.50 without – discounts available) Address: Unit 1, 2, 3 & 4, Emirates Cable Car Terminal, Edmund Halley Way, London SE10 0FR

Order one dish (the snappily named Breakfast Bites) and sample three English classics in one sitting: a teacake, crumpet and muffin. And what better surroundings than “royal grocers” Fortnum & Mason. Don’t forget a cup of Royal Blend tea, too – or your pinkie.

The Wolseley is renowned for its breakfasts. So much so, you actually have to reserve a table in the morning. Once settled in the grand surroundings, choose a suitably epic breakfast from the extensive menu: Grilled Kipper with Mustard Butter perhaps or Haggis with fried Duck Eggs. You won’t need a mid-morning snack, that’s for sure.

Pretend you’re in the real Breakfast Club (well, the film one) at The Breakfast Club and order a stack of delicious, piping-hot pancakes. Everything comes with maple syrup – be it The All American with bacon or the positively healthy Pancakes and Berries. Pour liberally.

Make yourself comfortable in Fitzrovia eatery Percy & Founders during the weekend, which serves the likes of a full English; fontina waffles with chicken, poached egg, maple and bacon; or baked eggs with chorizo, avocado and tomato salsa. You can also enjoy two hours’ worth of bottomless Prosecco or Bloody Marys. Breakfast is also available during the week.

Modern Pantry’s take on Bircher muesli includes fresh pineapple, raspberry compote and toasted seeds. You’ll feel so virtuous afterwards you may be unable to resist sampling that day’s fruit muffin. Well, it’s practically part of your five-a-day.

Like the old Bombay cafes it’s modelled on, Dishoom is open morning to night. Do as they do in Bombay and prepare for the day with a cup of spicy chai and a Bun Maska, a toasted, buttered bun that you dip into your tea. Worth getting up for.

Every Saturday between 9am and 2pm, St John Bakery opens its shutters to the public. And every hour, freshly baked madeleines emerge from its oven, ready to be devoured with a cup of hot chocolate. While you’re there, pick up some of the bakery’s famous sourdough bread and fresh doughnuts – that’s lunch sorted.

If you’re celebrating a special occasion, what more decadent way to start the day than with a breakfast cocktail? Choose from a Bloody Mary, Mimosa or British Bellini. There are plenty of edible breakfast options at The Orange too, ranging from Eggs Benedict to buttermilk pancakes with pear and pomegranate compote.

If you want a hot breakfast with character, how about Cinnamon Club’s South Indian rice pancake? The Uttappam, as it’s known, comes with a choice or toppings: onion, green chilli, tomato or peppers – all served with coconut chutney and lentil broth. It’s on the breakfast menu, honest! The Cinnamon Club occupies the site of the Old Westminster Library.

While you can find a cheap n’ cheerful full English breakfast on pretty much any London high street, few have paintings by the likes of Michelangelo a few rooms down. At the National Gallery’s cafe, the British Breakfast comes with all the essential ingredients – including a bottomless cup of tea or coffee. Essential.

Clementinum National Library, Czech Republic – The series of buildings that make up this National Library owe their inception to an 11th century chapel dedicated to Saint Clement (hence the name). The National Library itself was founded in 1781, constructed in a Baroque style, and has served as a copyright library since 1782. The collection now includes historical examples of Czech literature, special materials relating to Tycho Brahe, and a unique collection of Mozart’s personal effects.

The Royal Library Copenhagen, Denmark – Known as the Black Diamond, this neo-Modernist building was built in 1999 as an addition to the Royal Library’s original complex. Its striking steel, glass, and black granite structure contains a concert hall, a popular café, and exhibition spaces. The Black Diamond treats visitors to spectacular harbor views and a ceiling fresco by one of Denmark’s most famous artists, Per Kirkeby. Guided tours are available on Saturdays.

George Peabody Library, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore – The Peabody Stack Room’s five-tier soaring atrium has wrought-iron balconies and columns so graceful that Nathaniel H. Morison, its first provost, called it a “cathedral of books.” It’s one of America’s most beautiful college libraries, with a setting so gorgeous that weddings and special events are often held here. Bibliophiles come not only for the design but to browse 18th- and 19th-century volumes of archaeology as well as British and American history and literature.

Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. – When the original library burned down in 1814, Thomas Jefferson seeded a new one with his own much broader collection of books. Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom, stands guard in mosaic form above the main reading room, and scrolls, books, and torches pop up throughout the Library of Congress. Highlights include the main reading room, the Gutenberg Bible (one of 42 left in the world), and free classical concerts. Open Monday to Saturday.

Central Library of Vancouver, Canada – Architect Moshe Safdie’s creation resembles a modern-day Colosseum. You enter the Central Library through a huge skylit concourse, which contains shops and cafés and acts as an urban gathering point. Bridges inside the library connect to reading and study areas in the outer walls. Plans are under way to reclaim two of the building’s top floors from other tenants in order to expand the rooftop garden and make it accessible to the public. Open seven days a week.

Musashino Art University Museum and Library, Tokyo – Presenting the most library-like library ever: Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto designed the Art University’s 26,900-square-foot space to be constructed from light-wood bookshelves walled in with glass. Even the stairs have built-in shelves, though they’re currently empty. Compared by Fujimoto to “a forest of books,” the building stands as a powerful visual testament to the bound book’s enduring power. The museum and library are open to visitors; hours vary.

New York Public Library (Stephen A. Schwarzman Building) – A grand hall lit by massive windows and imposing chandeliers, the Rose Main Reading Room stretches approximately two city blocks. It’s a required stop for visitors, who can also peek at murals by New York artist Richard Haas in the Periodicals Room. Free one-hour tours of the library are available 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. every day except Sunday; rotating exhibitions have included an original Bill of Rights and “Why Children’s Books Matter.”

Marciana Library, Venice – The Renaissance-era Marciana is one of the earliest surviving libraries in Italy; construction began in 1537 and continued for more than 50 years. Works by Venetian artists like Alessandro Vittoria, Titian, and Tintoretto adorn the walls and ceilings. The library counts more than 750,000 books, 13,000 manuscripts, and 24,000 prints in its collection, many of which were the result of a 1603 law that required printers to donate one copy of every book published to the library. English-language tours are available on request.

Trinity College Library, Ireland – Aside from being absolutely gorgeous, with two story dark wooden arches, this is also the largest library in all of Ireland. It serves as the country’s copyright library, where a copy of all new books and periodicals must be sent when they apply for copyright protection. The library is also home to the famous Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript created by Celtic monks around the year 800.

The Library of El Escorial, Spain – This library is located in the Royal Seat of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, the historical residence of the king of Spain. Phillip II was responsible for adding the library and most of the books originally held within. The vaulted ceilings were painted with gorgeous frescoes, each representing one of the seven liberal arts: rhetoric, dialectic, music, grammar, arithmetic, geometry and astronomy. These days, the library is a World Heritage Site, and it holds more than 40,000 volumes.

Stuttgart City Library, Germany – From the outside, the nine-story building can appear as a monolithic cube. But at sunset the façade’s glass bricks take on a glow, and after dark they are illuminated with blue lights. Inside, the dramatic all-white interior has a five-story reading room shaped as an upside-down pyramid, plus meeting rooms, a café, and a rooftop terrace. The arresting building was designed to become the city’s cultural heart. Patrons are welcome to settle in with a book or turn up after hours for the “Library for Insomniacs,” which keeps a small selection of material available all night long.

Library of Birmingham, England – Birmingham’s new library, composed of a stack of four rectangular blocks (offset to create terraces), makes an ultramodern first impression. The façade nods to the city’s jewelry quarter with a pattern of 5,357 metal rings. One of its treasures is the more traditional wood-paneled Shakespeare Memorial Room. Originally built in 1882, it was painstakingly reassembled on the top floor to house the library’s Shakespeare collection, which includes copies of the Bard’s first editions. The Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai was on hand to officially open the library in September 2013. Open daily.

Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt – Alexandria’s original library was destroyed by fire or battle more than 1,600 years ago. Today’s Bibliotheca Alexandrina seeks to recapture the original’s spirit of public learning. Opened in 2002, the massive disc-shaped building has a huge reading room that tilts toward the sea while the façade is covered in letters and characters from more than a hundred different languages. The building also contains a planetarium, four museums, academic research centers, and a multimedia presentation of Egypt’s heritage. Open Sunday to Thursday.

Bodleian Library, Oxford University, England – Duke Humfrey’s medieval reading room stood in for the Hogwarts library in the Harry Potter movies. And the wood-paneled room—with its low, ornately worked ceiling and somber lighting—looks like the perfect place to brush up on ancient spells. Before it was made famous on the big screen, generations of scholars including kings, Nobel Prize winners, and British prime ministers studied here. Access to the reading rooms as well as the Radcliffe Camera and the Divinity School are by guided tour only.

Handelingenkamer, Netherlands – The library of the Dutch Parliament contains every record of parliamentary hearings and discussions. Because it was built before electric lighting made the storage of books a lot safer, the building was constructed with a massive leaded glass dome in the ceiling to allow in light and minimize the need for candles and gas lamps inside the library.

Seattle Public Library’s Central Library – The philosophy of architects Rem Koolhaas and Joshua Prince-Ramus of OMA/LMN was to let the interior function dictate the exterior’s design. The result is a futuristic glass façade and a unique book spiral: bibliophiles browse the library’s nonfiction collection by following the gently inclined floor as it spirals up four stories. Ample daylight, inviting spaces to read and work, hundreds of computers, and bold interior design elements make this a decidedly 21st-century library. Open daily.

Austrian National Library, Vienna – Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom, stands guard over this commanding baroque library, dating from 1723. The sumptuous interior is fit for royalty—which makes sense, as this was the palace library until 1920, when it became a possession of the state. It may take you time to focus on the books, given the frescoes and gilt adorning the main hall. Don’t miss the Globe Museum: it includes terrestrial and celestial globes made before 1850. Open seven days.

Mortlock Wing State Library, Adelaide, Australia – When this two-story library opened in 1884, officials were pleased by its majesty, yet felt it was missing something—a timepiece. The Dent and Sons clock still holds pride of place at the end of the reading room, high up on the wrought-iron and gold ornamented balcony. (A staff member winds it once a week.) One feature that’s been replicated in more modern libraries is the glass roof; its dome lets in natural light and enhances the warmth of the beautiful room. Open daily.

Beitou Library, Taiwan – With its rooftop gardens, park setting, and airy, sunlit interior, the Beitou Branch feels like an oasis in the midst of skyscraper-filled Taipei. The eco-friendly library, which has won numerous awards since its 2006 opening, features water reclamation, solar panels, and natural ventilation. It’s a green space that is also gorgeous and invites visitors to curl up with a book on open-air balconies. Open seven days a week.

José Vasconcelos Library, Mexico – Nicknamed the “megalibrary” by the Mexican press, this giant library takes up a whopping 409,000 square feet, making it large enough to dwarf the painted gray whale skeleton displayed inside the main hallway. Outside of the library is an impressive botanical garden that protects the building from the loud city streets, providing a moat for this castle of knowledge. Inside, over 500,000 books are displayed on glass shelves hanging from the five stories of the building. The end result is as striking as it is stunning.

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Puntolingue Teachers’Club

Are you an English teacher? Are you interested in sharing ideas about teaching methods? Do you want to have fun? This is the right place for you to be!

We are looking for highly motivated teachers who are afraid of not giving enough to students. We will have a couple of meetings in a month to discuss about issues that arise in classroom. There will be chosen topics for each meeting that will be announced in advance for you to prepare. Come and join us!!!

Associazione Culturale William Shakespeare

In Italian: Non avere peli sulla lingua. What it means: To speak plainly; not mince words.

12. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) Charlie Brown films make certainly no exception. It’s a hilariously good time, but ends with just the right amount of warmth and fuzziness to remind you and your family what Christmas is really about. You’ll want to watch this one every year.